Domestic appliance



Deql, 1942. Jv, E, DYER 2,303,921

DOMESTIC APPLIANCE Filed June 6, Y1938 W' Mgg;

Patented Dec. 1, 1942 UNITED STATES PATENT GFFICE DOMESTIC APPLIANCE John B. Dyer, Dayton, Ohio, assignor to General Motors Corporation, Dayton, Ohio, a corporation of Delaware Application June 6, 1938, Serial No. 212,258

3 Claims. (Cl. 68-23) I washing machine in which all of the washing, drying and rinsing operations can be automatically performed in the same vertically disposed tub.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a washing machine having a vertically movable agitator and a spinnerttub in which the vertically movable agitator spins with the tub.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, wherein a preferred form of the present invention is clearly shown.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a vertical cross-section of a washing machine embodying my invention; and

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary sectional-view takenon line 2-2 of Fig. l.

The washing mechanism includes a tub I4, which is preferably imperforate, except that at the upper rim I5 proper openings are provided so that the liquids can be discharged centrifugally into the drain trough I6 formed on the inside of the casing I0. Y Y

Inside of the tub I4 is provided a vertical coneshaped agitator I1, which is provided at its lower extremity with exible rubber-like ring I8, and

is sealed to the bottom of the tub I4 by means of the metallic Sylphon or other type of bellows I9. The agitator I1 preferably is given a vertical reciprocating movement of about 1% inches to 2 inches, at a speed of about 450 pulsations per minute. Preferably the tub I4 is about 20 to 25 inches in diameter at the top.-

Pro'per mechanism is provided for vertically reciprocating the agitator I1 and centrifugally rotating the tub I4. This includes the-motor 20 provided with a drive shaft 2l on which, are

loosely mounted a pinion 22 and a worm gear (not shown) just behind the spiral gear 23. An agitator clutch 24, and a spinner clutch 25 are also mounted on the drive shaft 2I, so that, by means'of the clutch control rod 26, the motor can be drivingly connected either to 'reciprocate the agitator I1 or to spin the tub I4.

The agitator drive includes a gear 21l which meshes with the pinion 22 and is connected by the shaft 28 with the crank-pin 29. The pin 29 cates vertically the` agitator shaft 3| which extends up to and is connected with the agitator I1. l

The spinning drive includes the worm gear heretofore described which is connected to the spiral gear 23. The gear 23 is connected to the spinner shaft 32 which is coaxial with the agitator shaft 3l. The spinner shaft 32 supports at its upper -end the tub I4.

Proper gear casing arrangement is provided for the driving mechanism as shown. An upper bearing 33 is provided at the upper end of the gear casing to position the spinner shaft 32 while a complementary lower thrust bearing 34 Iis placed just above the spiral gear 23. The Scotch yoke 30 provided at the lower end of the shaft 3I is provided with an extension 30a which is guided in the lower longitudinal bearing 35.

- The gear casing is divided a short distance below its top by means of the bolted flanges 36. In order to simplify this disclosure, the means for supporting the gear casing within the outer casing I0 has not been shown. It is contemplated that any conventional mounting means may be used. The. clutch control rod 26 may be set manually to engage the motor with the agitator I1, so that the clothes are washed by the short vertical pulsations of the agitator. After the washing operation is completed, the rod 26 is moved to engage the motor with the spinner shaft 32, which in turn spins the tub I4, thus causing the clothes to be dried, the water being discharged into the drain trough I6 from whence v The Scotch yoke `30 is somewhat diagrammatically shown and is of the type which permits the agitator I1 to rotate with the tub I4 when -the tub is rotated. 'Ihe Scotch yoke mechanism is a well-known mechanical movement and therefore is not illustrated in'detail. It is of such a character that it permits the Icrank-pin'29 to follow its orbital movement, imparts to the aglis, connected to the Scotch yoke 30 which recipro- 55 tator shaft 3l a vertical reciprocating movement,

and permits the agitator I1 to rotate with the tub I4 when the tub is rotated. By virtue of the construction hereinabove described, it is obvious'that the agitator I1 does not serve as a drag on the tub I4 and the clothes in the tub during the spinning operation. It is also obvious that there is less danger of the clothes being torn or the driving mechanism being damaged when the agitator and the tub spin together. Pin 3|a carried by the `spinner shaft 32 projects into the slot 3|b` in the shaft 3| whereby the agitator II rotates with the tub Il. The crank-pin 29 drives the Scotch yoke mechanism by means of a horizontal slot bearing 5I, as is well known. Relative rotation between the agitator drive mechanism and the agitator I1 is obtained by a vertically keyed, but rotationally free, joint in the agitator shaft 3| either at its upper end 52 or its lower end 53. For purposes of illustration, the lower end of the shaft 3| has been shown as provided with a collar 53a which serves to vertically key the shaft 3| to the Scotch yoke 30. The shaft 3| and the collar 53a may be free to rotate with respect to the Scotch yoke 30. In order to simplify this dis closure, details which are deemed obvious to perl sons skilled in this art have been omitted.

The tub I4 is lled with liquid nearly to its top. When clothes are placed in the tub and the agitator is reciprocated at the rate herein stated, a very efficient washing agitation is obtained. The agitator tends to impart a smokers ring or torroidal movement tothe clothes and water,

I8 acts as a ducks foot and washes the clothesy mainly by the strong pulsating radially outwardly directed water currents at the bottom of the tub which impart the smokers ring agltation to the lmain body of water.

With my improved mechanism any one or more of the usual washing operations can be performed without removing the clothes from the tub. By driving the agitator from the underside, the top of the tub is free for easy manipulation of the clothes.

While the form of embodiment of the invention as herein disclosed, constitutes a preferred form,

it is to be understood that other forms might be adopted, all coming within the scope of the claims which follow.

What is claimed is as follows:

1. A washing machine comprising a support, a vertical bearing sleeve carried by said support, a hollow shaft having a bearing in said sleeve, a vertically reciprocable shaft in said hollow shaft, a liquid holding tub supported above said support by said hollow shaft, an agitator in said tub supported and actuated by said reciprocable shaft, a flexible bellows forming a liquid seal between said tub and reciprocable shaft, transmission mechanism on said support selectively connectible to rotate said hollow shaft or to reciprocate said reciprocable shaft, and a motor on said support drivingly connected to said transmission mechanism.

2. A washing machine comprising a support, a vertical bearing sleeve carried by said support, a hollow shaft having a bearing in said sleeve, a vertically reciprocable shaft in said hollow shaft, a tub supported above said support by said hollow shaft, an agitator in said tub supported and actuated by said reciprocable shaft, a flexible bellows forming a'liquid seal between said tub and reciprocable shaft, transmission mechanism on said support selectively connectible to rotate said hollow shaft or to reciprocate said reciprocable shaft, and a source of power drivingly connected to said transmission mechanism'.

3. A washing machine comprising a support, a vertical bearing sleeve carried by said support,

a hollow shaft having a bearing in said sleeve, a

vertically reciprocable shaft in said hollow shaft, a tub supported above said support by said hollow shaft, an agitator in said tub supported and actuated by said reciprocable shaft, means including 

